BENGALURU: The 108 ambulance personnel operating in Karnataka have given an ultimatum to the state health department to clear their salary arrears, failing which they have threatened to go on strike from July 8. Close to 4,000 employees, including the drivers and emergency medical technicians (paramedical staff), have continued to meet people’s emergency care requirements across the state, without being paid for four months now.
A nursing officer from Bengaluru, seeking anonymity, said that not just employees, but their families have also been affected by the non-payment of salaries. “We have been working without being paid since four months. Many others like me, who are migrants, have not paid rent and are even struggling to pay their children’s school fees. If the government does not clear the payments by July 7, we will ensure that all employees of 108 ambulances will stop work completely across the state,” he said.
The employees jointly wrote a letter to the health department on Tuesday, stating that if their salary arrears of four months are not cleared by July 7, they will go on strike from July 8.
An official from GVK-EMRI, responsible for handling 108 ambulance operations in Karnataka, said, “We have not received any funds from the government since March, which has resulted in non-payment of salaries. Our financial condition was so unstable that we were on the verge of stopping the services across the state around 20 days back.”
The tender processes for 108 ambulance services were cancelled in June due to an ongoing departmental inquiry and a Lokayukta case filed against the services. The department has set up a debarment committee in this matter and has not disseminated any funds till the issue gets resolved.